Fate - New Year
by HaloKeres-Chan
Summary: In which Gudako has other plans for the beginning of 2018. Plans that involve Halo 4, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, World War Two, and Crazy Eights. She would've had a drinking roulette instead, but half of them were underage. Oh, well. No pairings, just lots of fluff and family.


HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY LOVELIES (and future ones hopefully)!

I'm sorry for not posting on Christmas, for all you lonely people (me included) who didn't have anything to do (which I sincerely hope wasn't the case). I was busy playing Halo against all my friends and getting pummeled each time *insert really depressing sigh*. Anyways, it's my first Fate/Grand Order fic, featuring all my current Servants in the game. I LOVE GRAND ORDER IT MAJESTIC. I wish I had gotten Prototype Saber though, since he's one of my favorites...whatever. Enjoy the story!

P.S. I'M SORRY I JUST REALLY WANTED TO WRITE THIS AND NO I'M NOT YELLING. The Servants I'm using include:

Saber - Siegfried

Rider - Anne Bonny and Mary Read

Rider - Ushiwakamaru

Rider - Medusa

Lancer - Cú Chulainn

Caster - Medea

Archer - Euryale

Berserker - Kiyohime

Berserker - Frankenstein

Shielder - Mash

Assassin - Mata Hari

* * *

Gudako's eyebrows went up. "Hm? New Year?"

Dr. Roman nodded. "Yes. It's not exactly a tradition here in Chaldea, and New Year will only celebrate humanity's impending end, but why not?" He sounded sarcastic as he typed binary code into one of the computers sitting before him, and she couldn't help but get lost in all the ones and zeroes. "The end of 2017's coming up, and before you know it, we'll be in 2018. Did you and Mash ever celebrate Christmas?"

She tapped her chin, twirling her finger around one of her bright orange bangs. "Not really, no. I think we were in 1st Century Rome fighting alongside Emperor Nero at the time. I hardly expected her to be a girl, though. When we got back, I just gave her a Christmas card and said thank you for all that she's done - for me, Chaldea, and humanity." She made a noise. "But why celebrate New Year? It's the same thing as saying 'Hurray, we're all going to die soon.' Back before I joined the organization, I spent New Year with my family, but..." Gudako's eyes widened.

Dr. Roman watched her carefully. "...was that a touchy subject just now?" He questioned quietly.

Gudako bit her lip. "Everything outside of this building was destroyed, right? That means...everyone I love is gone..." Her normally cheerful eyes disappeared under her bangs. She started playing with her fingers, and Dr. Roman couldn't help feeling a pang of pity. Gudako had never really thought much about her family during their Rayshifting and breaks and whatnot, but now that he considered it, everything she ever loved was dead. Her family, her friends, her home, all of it was eradicated.

"Gudako?"

She forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. If you'd like to celebrate New Year, I'll bring it up with Mash, Da Vinci, and the other Servants I summoned. If they agree, I'll prepare some traditions I used to do with my family. It's fine." Gudako turned and left the room, but Dr. Roman noticed how tightly her fist was clenched.

* * *

Mash Kyrielight, otherwise known as "Shielder," knew Chaldea has a calm organization that treated everything with a serious demeanor. Chaldea, which used to be handled by Director Animusphere - may she rest in peace - , was all about protecting humanity and allowing it to prosper for millennia to come. Everything was treated with care, and holidays like Halloween or Christmas meant less than nothing if there were no humans left to celebrate it.

...but _this_ was _not_ Chaldea.

AT.

ALL.

Anne Bonny, one half of the pirate duo classified as "Rider," was most definitely brassy and rebellious, making the stoic, silent, and quite short Mary Read her favorite of the two. Anne certainly had her reasons for picking fights, but why she and Mata Hari, Gudako's "Assassin" Class Servant weren't getting long was still unknown to her. The two Berserkers - Kiyohime and Frankenstein - were rough around the edges, but after Gudako ordered them to stand down, they obeyed and found out how alike they were. Ushiwakamaru - the other Rider - and Euryale - Archer - kept to themselves, but they made the occasional prank or tease, the only exception to this harassment being Gudako. Medea, the Caster-Class Servant, stayed to her own devices (only God knows what she did for a hobby). It seemed that Cú Chulainn, the Lancer, and Siegfried, Gudako's Saber, were friendly, but the latter was somewhat withdrawn from everyone else. And God knows where Medusa had been.

Whatever the case, Mash didn't expect seeing all nine (excluding her and Medusa) Servants crashing in her Senpai's bedroom. She also didn't expect seeing the dozens of char marks that littered the floor, walls, ceiling, and other furniture from Anne's rifle as she futilely aimed at Mata Hari, who quite literally kept dancing around them. Mary was half buried in popcorn, while Ushiwakamaru and Euryale were kept entertained by the television in the corner of the room.

Yes. This was definitely _not_ Chaldea.

"What in Chaldea's name are you doing?" She asked, a little too timid to catch anyone's attention. "Hello? Hey!"

"It seems Rider and Assassin cannot get along." Siegfried said, trying to exit the room. "After the most recent Singularity, Master realized we had nowhere to stay and left us in here while she went to visit Dr. Roman. I am not certain of what she wished to discuss with him, but she will be getting back soon."

Mash stiffened. "Senpai's...going to come back to see her room in such a mess?" She tightened her grip on the doorframe. "After she's done so much for us and humanity as a whole, she's coming back to a room on fire that's filled with popcorn?" Fou shifted on her shoulder, as if to agree with her. She turned to Siegfried. "Could you...get their attention?"

Siegfried nodded. "If you would like me to." He summoned Balmung and slashed at the floor. The sound of bruising metal caught everyone's attention. Mash sighed and eyed the burn mark on the floor nervously.

"Listen to me, everyone!" Mash said. "You need to stop fighting and making a mess of Senpai's room. She'll be coming back soon, and you've made it look like a hurricane has hit it!" She pointed to the crumpled paper plates and cups all over the floor from Euryale and Ushiwakamaru. The bedsheets were a mess, and Anne ruffled her blonde hair anxiously upon seeing the almost-fire she'd made. "Senpai is working hard to save everyone and you're ruining the one place she can rest at!"

"...have they?"

All the Servants and Mash turned around, seeing Gudako observe the mess everyone had made. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose and cheeks were slightly tinged red. Her hair seemed more disheveled than usual, and her expression was unreadable. Her hand trembled.

Anne and Assassin shivered.

Mash put her hands up in front of her. "Senpai - "

"...could you grab a garbage bag, Mash?" Gudako asked. She turned to Saber. "Could you go with her, Saber? I'd like you two to stop by Dr. Roman on the way, so that you can notify him of what happened in here. I'll go get a broom to clean up the popcorn. Ushiwakamaru, Archer, can you dig Mary out of the popcorn? Anne, Assassin, can you gather up the bullets you guys launched at each other?"

Assassin pointed at Anne. "That was all her, Master~." She was rewarded by an elbow in the side from Anne.

"Lancer, Kiyohime, Berserker, you three can continue what you were doing. I know you weren't causing any trouble." Gudako finished, rubbing her eyes a bit more before turning around to grab the broom. "I'll be back soon enough."

Everyone was quite shocked by how calmly Gudako handled the situation. Normally, she would've smacked the one who wreaked the havoc over the head and gave everyone present a good lecture. Her eyebrows would furrow, her smile would morph into a pout, and she'd be practically unapproachable because of her frustration for at least the next two hours. The fact that she simply told everyone to clean up stunned them.

Mash could only stare after Gudako, wondering why her Senpai looked like she had been crying.

* * *

"So one of Gudako's Rider Servants and Assassin got into a fight? And they wrecked her room in the process?" Dr. Roman summed up what Mash had explained, digging through one of the cabinets by his desk for a couple garbage bags. He sighed when Mash nodded. "I should've expected as much from having so many Servants cramped in one bedroom, not to mention Rider's and Assassin's different perspectives of the opposing gender. I'll have whatever's left of our cleaning crew and our mechanics come over to restore the room as best as we can. Da Vinci will stop by as well. I imagine Gudako was ticked off when she saw the mess."

Mash shook her head. "Actually, Dr. Roman, Senpai acted, um...indifferent to it, I guess you could say. She didn't hit Rider or Assassin for misbehaving, or anyone else for not stopping them. She didn't give her standard lecture either. Did something happen while you talked with her?"

Siegfried nodded silently.

Dr. Roman scratched his head. "Well...you know how 2018's coming up, right? I asked her if she wanted to celebrate New Year. It's not something we normally do here in Chaldea, so as a person from the outside, Gudako might've had some ideas for us. She pondered it for a bit, but then she realized that her family's dead, alongside the rest of humanity outside this base. She left after that, but..."

Mash straightened. "So Senpai _did_ cry...it had never crossed my mind that she had a family full of people she loved outside. She acted so natural with us, that I had almost forgotten that she came from Japan, not Chaldea. She was upset because she didn't expect never being able to see her family again."

Dr. Roman nodded. "I guess celebrating New Year brings back memories for Gudako. I guess it's a no for the party, then. She said she was going to ask you guys on what you thought, but she must've gotten sidetracked. I won't force her. I'll just send you guys back into the Rayshift later. Forget about it, alright?" He handed them the garbage bags and escorted them out.

"...it amazes me how little we know about Master." Siegfried said, shortly after they left Dr. Roman's room. "I am not even certain of her last name or age."

"You're right, Saber." Mash replied. "Senpai didn't disclose much about her life previous to coming here. But she has a family too, and the fact that she lost them so quickly must've shaken her up. I think we need to be much kinder to her from here on out. But New Year..." She thought back to what Dr. Roman said. "...why would we celebrate another year of unsuccessfully saving the human race? Lev is scheming for our end as we speak."

Siegfried opened the door to Gudako's bedroom. Ushiwakamaru and Euryale had finished pulling Mary out of the popcorn pile, and Anne and Mata Hari were almost done picking up bullets. Gudako swept up the popcorn kernels littering the floor, stepping over feet and knocked over chairs. She smiled when she saw Mash and Siegfried with the trash bags. "Thanks Mash, Saber!"

Mash smiled, but couldn't help but wonder the point of celebrating New Year if it only marked humanity's end. They wouldn't survive until 2019, so what was the point?

"Mash?" Gudako asked.

"Y - Yes, Senpai?"

"Do you have any DVDs here? Like, movies or anything?"

"There are DVD files in the library, but why do you ask? Are you doing research?"

"...something like that."

Anne pulled the bullets out of her rifle. "Master, is something wrong? You should've bashed me in the head already."

Mata Hari followed the same train of thought. "Indeed. Master, I noticed that your eyes were quite bloodshot earlier. They are fine now, but did something happen? If we bothered you enough to make you cry, I offer my sincerest apologies." She moved her skirts around and bowed. "Anne Bonny and I have differing perspectives, which resulted in us clashing. While I cannot say sorry to her, if I have bothered you in any way, please do tell me."

Gudako stared in awe for a moment before giggling. "It's not that, Assassin. I did cry, but it wasn't your fault. I just realized that my family outside of Chaldea - my blood family - is dead, and it kind of shocked me. You see, the way you guys acted earlier reminded me of my family. If it hadn't been for that, I really would've smacked you. Anne, Assassin, you're just like me and my little sister. Mary compares my baby sister, who wasn't even a year old yet, and Archer and Ushiwakamaru resemble my cousins, who were twin brothers that loved pranking people. Caster's similar to my best friend, and Medusa's like my mother in a way. Lancer's like my second cousin, and Saber acts like my older brother. Kiyohime and Berserker are my two nieces, and so forth. It's like, well..." She smiled. "It's like you guys _are_ the family I lost. It's not like you guys are replacements or anything, but I'm really glad that you're here. Mash, you're like the twin sis I never had."

Mash's hands trembled as she held the trash bag at those words.

"I want to celebrate New Year with you guys. We'll do all the traditions my family did. Even if it only proves we've got less time to save everyone, 2018 represents another year full of ups and downs, another year of potential. That's why I asked about the DVDs." Gudako closed her eyes. "Even if a majority of you are Heroic Spirits who I may never see again after this, you're my family, and I want us all to stay like this forever. The year 2018 may be our last year together, so I want to make this event count."

Anne and Mata Hari smiled.

"When I was younger, maybe twelve or thirteen, I had always wished for something out of the ordinary to happen. I wanted my favorite anime characters to pop out of the screen and take me on an adventure, or maybe I could develop some really awesome super power. I hardly expected joining Chaldea and becoming a vital part of Grand Order, but now I'm glad, because I met all of you."

Mash couldn't stop the tears that burst down her cheeks.

* * *

"NO NO NO NO - "

"HA! YES!"

Anne threw down her controller, readying her rifle to shoot down Ushiwakamaru when the victory banner appeared on the latter's respective screen. Euryale took her controller in both hands and brought it over Ushiwakamaru's head in an attempt to strangle her as she glared daggers. Cú Chulainn laughed. "Anne and Archer just got triggered!" He called.

Ushiwakamaru pumped her fists. "Twelve kills! I love using the Melee and Assassination methods!"

Gudako sighed. "I'll bet you love Slayer in general, Ushiwakamaru." Her comment was unheard as she watched the group of Anne, Ushiwakamaru, Euryale, and Cú Chulainn already begin another round of Slayer Mode in Halo 4. She smiled as she took another drink of her Coke.

Mash looked at her nervously. "Did you play such a violent game with your family on New Year? Isn't the point of that game killing people?"

"Not normally. We usually stay up until midnight watching movies and then yell, 'HAPPY NEW YEAR', but I wanted to do things a bit differently. I let the most competitive Servants play Halo. Mary, Medusa, and Caster are completely enthralled by _Puella Magi Madoka Magica,_ Saber's reading a book on World War Two, and Assassin, Berserker, and Kiyohime are duking it out playing Crazy Eights." Gudako answered. "I would've started a drinking roulette, but a majority of us here are underage, I bet. Not to mention, we'd wreck this place even more than it was originally. What time is it, by the way?"

Mash gulped when Gudako mentioned the drinking roulette. She checked the clock behind her. "It's 11:56 p.m. Are you sure you shouldn't get some rest, Senpai? We're Rayshifting to the Third Singularity the day after tomorrow, aren't we?"

Gudako nodded and stood up. "Hold on a minute, Mash." She pulled her iPhone out of her pocket. She clapped her hands. "Everyone, can I have your attention?"

Euryale paused Halo. Caster did the same with the anime she, Medusa, and Mary currently watched. Siegfried put down his book. Mata Hari, Frankenstein, and Kiyohime looked up, their eyes fixing on Aikyruto's cell phone. Euryale gave her a glare. "Did you interrupt my victory over these pathetic lowlifes for the sake of making a toast?" She growled. Anne smacked her with her controller, while Lancer and Ushiwakamaru gave her a synchronized glare that promised death in the game.

Gudakoo shook her head, grinning. "That's not it at all, Archer. I just wanted to take a picture with all of you so that we could remember this party forever, you know? It's back to business tomorrow, and I want to take the picture the moment the clock strikes midnight. We're in our last moments of 2017, and I don't know if I'll ever see you again at the end of Grand Order, so..."

Mash stood up. "Can everyone just listen to this one demand? Senpai worked hard to give you all a party as thanks for your work!"

Gudako's cheeks lit up. "Thanks, Mash." She turned back to all the Servants before them. "There's only a couple minutes until midnight. Can everyone stand up and maneuver into that one corner where Saber is? Medusa, Saber, Lancer, Anne, and Assassin should go in the back. Berserker, Mash, Caster, and I will go in the middle. Mary, Ushiwakamaru, and Kiyohime can settle down in the front. I'm setting my phone on counter, so we'll only have ten seconds, alright?"

Everyone nodded. Gudako beamed.

After a minute of getting into place - albeit with struggling, what with Euryale's annoyance at pausing the game she'd been so enchanted by - , Gudako readied her phone. "Are you all ready?"

Mash gave a thumbs up. Anne flashed a smile.

"Right!" Gudako pressed the button and squeezed between Frankenstein and Mash.

As the countdown began on the screen, as well as the clock, Mash noticed a glint in Gudako's eyes that wasn't there before. She smiled.

At the last second, Gudako shouted, "Everyone say 'Chaldea!'"

Even when no one said it with her, she couldn't help laughing. "Happy New Year, everyone!"

* * *

Notify me of any grammatical errors. Thanks for reading, my lovelies, and have a Happy New Year~!

~HaloKeres-Chan


End file.
